China, the proven global leader in the electronics market, has been reaching out to new business avenues in the recent past. And sports investment is fast becoming one of the leading avenues for billionaires in the country to pour their money.
China is also being seen as the undisputed leader with the purchase of some well-known teams in the United States and Europe. The starting point of sports investments by the Asian powerhouse dates back to 2014 when China's state council reportedly issued a document in favour of promoting sports consumption.
Football, especially, is becoming a major business in China, with President XI Jinping, who is an ardent fan of the sport, laying out a 10-year-plan, which will double the size of the sports economy. A lot of these investments, apart from private contribution, also has the backing of the state.
According to reports, sports economy of China is expected to be around £590 billion and it will contribute a considerable amount to the country's GDP.
President Xi's vision is also to make China a global superpower in sport, which will enable the Asian giant to host and win the Fifa World Cup in 15 years. Notably, Xi had toured Manchester City's academy in 2015 after which China Media Capital poured in £265 million -- state-backed funding -- in club owner Sheikh Mansour's company.
Here is a list of top European and American sports franchises, which has had Chinese investment.
Football
Clubs with Chinese investment in England
| Team Name | Description |
| Manchester City | Backed by state funding, China Media Capital purchased 13% of City Football Group, which runs Premier League club Manchester City, in 2015. |
| West Bromwich Albion | Premier League side West Bromwich Albion were acquired in 2016 by Yunyi Guokai (Shanghai) Sports Development, headed by Guochuan Lai. |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | This time, Chinese conglomerate Fosun International bought 100% of football club Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2016. |
| Aston Villa | Chinese businessman Tony Xia, who is in-charge of Recon Holdings funds, bought Aston Villa in 2016 for $96m. |
| Birmingham City | Trillion Trophy Asia, a group managed by Hong Kong businessman Paul Suen, completed the acquisition of more than 50% of shares of Birmingham City. |
United States
| New York City | China Media Capital owns shares in Major League Soccer club New York City. |
Italy
| Inter Milan | In June 2016, China's Suning Holdings Group, a leading appliance retailer in the Asian country, became the first Chinese owners of a Serie A club when they acquired 68.55% of Inter Milan. |
| AC Milan | Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's 31-year reign as the owner of Italy's eight-time champions AC Milan came to an end earlier this year when Chinese-led group Rossoneri Sport Luxembourg acquired 99.93% share of the European giants. |
Spain
| Atletico Madrid | Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin bought 20% stake in the La Liga club for $52 million in 2015. |
| Granada CF | Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang-owned Link International Sports Limited completed the sale of Granada CF in 2016. |
| RCD Espanyol | Chinese carmaker Rastar group bought 54% stake in the La Liga club in 2016. |
France
| Nice | French Ligue 1 mainstays were taken over by Alex Zheng, president of hotel company Plateno Group and Chien Lee, founder of private equity NewCity Capital in 2016. |
| Lyon | Chinese investment fund IDG Capital Partners bought 20% of the stakes in Ligue 1 side's listed company OL Groupe in 2016. |
| AJ Auxerre | Chinese food and beverage packaging products company ORG Packaging bought a 60% controlling stake in the Ligue 2 side in 2016. |
| FC Sochaux | Hong Kong-listed Ledus, the LED lighting subsidiary of Tech Pro Technology Development, acquired 100% stakes in the Ligue 2 club in 2015. |
Australia
| Melbourne City FA | The Hyundai A-League side was rebranded in 2014 after China Media Capital purchased stakes in City Football Group. |
| Newcastle Jets | The Hyundai A-League side were bought completely by Chinese LED Manufacturer Ledman in 2016. |
Uruguay
| Club Atletico Torque | Earlier this year, City Football Group, extended its market to Uruguayan second division by buying Club Aletico Torque. |
Czech Republic
| Slavia Prague | Chinese company CEFC purchased the oldest Czech Republic football club Slavia Praque and their stadium earlier this year. |
NBA
Also, the growing fan base for basketball in China reached the next level when Li Zhang Jian, a Shanghai-based businessman, became the first owner of an NBA club. Notably, NBA has started to recognise the growing fandom for the sport in the Asian country and has been coming up with various community programmes and camps there.
| Minnesota Timberwolves | In 2016, Shanghai businessman Li Zhang Jiang became the first Chinese owner in NBA by buying 5% share in the Minneapolis-based team. |
